Archives March 2026

Business Wire India

SES, a space solutions company, is expanding humanitarian connectivity at the Farchana refugee settlement in Chad in cooperation with emergency.lu, the public-private partnership led by Luxembourg’s Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade and the UN Refugee Agency. In the framework of the Connectivity for Refugees initiative, the deployment uses SES’ O3b mPOWER satellite network to provide dependable, high-speed internet for humanitarian teams and essential services for refugees.

 

This is the first emergency.lu deployment using O3b mPOWER satellites in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), an expansion beyond the program’s previous use of geostationary (GEO) satellites for rapid disaster-response missions. It also marks a new application for the platform.

 

 

While emergency.lu has traditionally supported first responders and emergency operations, this deployment is designed to connect refugees and the humanitarian organizations enabling services such as online learning, digital skills training, community connectivity centers as well as reliable day-to-day communications.

 

 

The deployment was carried out by Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade’s personnel on the ground, following hands-on training at SES’ Luxembourg headquarters. Built for sustained use and flexible expansion, the communication kit is designed to support longer-term operations and evolving needs on site.

 

 

By adding O3b mPOWER to the emergency.lu toolkit, the partnership strengthens its ability to provide connectivity beyond the first days of a crisis, supporting continued access to education, healthcare services and communications when displacement and humanitarian response extend for months.

 

 

“Connectivity can change a day — and a life. With this deployment, a classroom can keep teaching and access guidance, humanitarian workers can support displaced communities, and families can stay in touch,” said Adel Al-Saleh, CEO of SES. “With the addition of SES’ high-throughput, low-latency Medium Earth Orbit capabilities, we have adapted the solution to move from emergency restoration to everyday communications reliability for displaced communities, and are proud to support the Luxembourg Government’s teams as they bring this service online in Farchana.”

 

 

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About SES

 

 

At SES, we believe that space has the power to make a difference. That’s why we design space solutions that help governments protect, businesses grow, and people stay connected—no matter where they are. With integrated multi-orbit satellites and our global terrestrial network, we deliver resilient, seamless connectivity and the highest quality video content to those shaping what’s next. Following our Intelsat acquisition, we now offer more than 100 years of combined global industry leadership—backed by a track record of bringing innovation “firsts” to market. As a trusted partner to customers and the global space ecosystem, SES is driving impact that goes far beyond coverage. The company is headquartered in Luxembourg and listed on Paris and Luxembourg stock exchanges (Ticker: SESG). Further information is available at: www.ses.com

 

 

About emergency.lu

 

 

Emergency.lu is a rapid communications solution for global disaster relief and humanitarian missions, developed and implemented as a public-private partnership by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade of Luxembourg in collaboration with a consortium of Luxembourg companies and organizations: SES, Hitec Luxembourg and Luxembourg Air Services. It is designed to help the humanitarian and civil protection workers in the field to (re-) establish telecommunication services, coordinate first response, as well as support affected communities and governments. The solution consists of satellite infrastructure and capacity, communication and coordination services, and satellite ground terminals as well as transportation of equipment to areas all over the world. Since its inception in 2013, the solution has been deployed dozens of times in various parts of the world, and has provided connectivity for relief efforts after Hurricane Matthew in Haiti, Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines and in many more crisis situations. Further information is available at: emergency.lu

 

 

About Connectivity for refugees:

 

 

Connectivity for Refugees is a multi-stakeholder initiative advancing the availability and affordability of connectivity for 20 million forcibly displaced people and their host communities by 2030. The initiative is founded by the UNHCR, ITU, GSMA, and the Government of Luxembourg.

 

 

The initiative prioritizes enhancement of both individual connectivity (via a personal device) and collective connectivity (via a shared or communal device and spaces). This is often done in partnership with governments, the private sector, and civil society.

 

 

https://refugeeconnectivity.org/

 

 

 

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260303819468/en/

 

Business Wire India

Andersen Consulting expands its platform in the Middle East through a Collaboration Agreement with Reach Consulting, a digital transformation and advisory firm headquartered in the UAE.

 

Reach Consulting supports organizations in driving growth, managing risk, and navigating complex change through a comprehensive suite of services, including digital transformation, strategy, internal audit, and M&A advisory. With a presence across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, and Jordan, the firm serves public and private sector clients through tailored delivery, cross-functional expertise, and deep local insight. Reach Consulting combines scale with agility to advance operational performance and workforce innovation.

 

“Transformation works best when local insight, cross-functional expertise, and practical execution come together,” said Suhail Shaker, managing director of Reach Consulting. “By collaborating with Andersen Consulting, we combine our regional presence with Andersen’s global platform, enabling clients to navigate complex change, optimize operations, and unlock sustainable growth.”

 

“Reach Consulting’s expertise enhances our ability to deliver integrated advisory, digital, and operational solutions,” said Mark L. Vorsatz, global chairman and CEO of Andersen. “Their service offerings complement our organization’s capabilities, allowing us to support clients more effectively through complex change.”

 

Andersen Consulting is a global consulting practice providing a comprehensive suite of services spanning corporate strategy, business, technology, and AI transformation, as well as human capital solutions. Andersen Consulting integrates with the multidimensional service model of Andersen Global, delivering world-class consulting, tax, legal, valuation, global mobility, and advisory expertise on a global platform with more than 50,000 professionals worldwide and a presence in over 1,000 locations through its member firms and collaborating firms. Andersen Consulting Holdings LP is a limited partnership and provides consulting solutions through its member firms and collaborating firms around the world.

 

 

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260303899952/en/

 

Business Wire India

Carta, the world’s first fully interconnected system for private capital, today announced it has acquired ListAlpha, the AI-powered CRM and relationship intelligence platform. The acquisition marks the launch of Carta CRM, a major expansion of the Carta ERP that further unifies front-to-back office workflows for the private markets.

 

Private equity and venture capital firms have long operated in a fragmented way, keeping relationship context in siloed CRMs while fund performance data remains trapped in back-office ledgers. This information silo quietly erodes clarity for deal teams and GPs, slowing down teams and decreasing capital velocity.

 

By integrating ListAlpha’s specialized CRM directly into the Carta ecosystem, firms can unify front-office intelligence with back-office execution on a single platform. Effectively, Carta now provides the industry’s first comprehensive ERP for private capital, managing the entire investment lifecycle—seamlessly linking workflows from initial investor outreach and deal sourcing through portfolio management and the final distribution of a successful exit.

 

“Last year, I wrote about our shift to build a vertical ERP for private markets—the NetSuite for our industry. While we had the core accounting and data stores, we were missing the front-office engine,” said Henry Ward, Chief Executive Officer, Carta. “As fund administration is to CFOs and finance teams, CRM is the foundational product for the GPs, deal teams, and IR teams. By bringing ListAlpha into the Carta ERP, we are removing the gap between relationship context and fund reality. Now, firms can own their entire fund lifecycle, from idea to investment to distribution, in one place.”

 

One Platform, Two Fronts: Bridging the Deal Team and IR

 

Unlike traditional, high-friction CRMs that often feel like a data-entry tax on deal teams, Carta’s networked CRM is a multi-use engine designed for the high-stakes, “many-to-many” relationships of private capital. It serves as the connective tissue between the deal team’s sourcing efforts and the IR team’s fundraising efforts:

 

• ForDeal Teams: CRM turns into a proactive sourcing tool. By automating interaction capture across Outlook and Google Workplace, deal teams leverage a networked CRM to identify proprietary leads, track targets through the funnel, and use AI to generate Investment Committee one-pagers in seconds.
• For Investor Relations: Investor Relations (IR) teams can now pitch with precision. By syncing live accounting data from the Carta Ledger directly to Limited Partner (LP) records, IR professionals can view real-time metrics like IRR, TVPI, and DPI alongside contact notes. This ensures they walk into every meeting with total confidence and the ability to match opportunities to LP appetite and liquidity.

 

The AI-Powered CRM: Unified Intelligence for Private Capital

 

Carta CRM gives mid-to-large cap firms access to a financial-grade system designed to modernize every interaction, including:

 

• Institutional-grade relationship intelligence and automated capture: Native integrations with Outlook, Gmail, and Calendar eliminate manual data entry. Every meeting, email, and sentiment is automatically logged, turning individual networks into a permanent firm-wide asset and preventing the “crossed wires” of uncoordinated outreach.
• Real-time fund performance synced directly to LP records: The live sync between the Carta Ledger and the CRM removes the “fragmented brain” of private capital. IR teams can instantly surface live metrics—including IRR, TVPI, DPI, and Carry—directly on LP records to provide data-backed answers in seconds.
• AI-powered deal evaluation and IC-ready outputs: Leveraging a specialized AI agent and MCP server architecture, deal teams can query years of history to identify proprietary leads and evaluate targets using qualitative judgment to render an “Investment Committee one-pager” in under 10 seconds.
• A single, flexible solution from sourcing to exit: The CRM provides customizable deal and fundraising pipelines within a financial-grade cloud environment. This ensures compliance with leading industry security standards while providing instant tracebacks from CRM notes to the underlying fund data.

 

“Joining Carta represents an exciting next chapter for the ListAlpha team,” said Ihar Valodzin, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, ListAlpha. “Most firms are frustrated by manual reconciliation between their CRM and existing data silos. By unifying firm-wide interactions with real-time economic data from Carta, we are giving investors the authority of a shared institutional memory — whether it’s identifying proprietary leads or responding to LPs in minutes rather than days..”

 

Over the coming months, ListAlpha’s technology will be fully integrated into Carta’s platform. Existing ListAlpha clients will now be able to leverage the full power of the Carta ecosystem, including world-class fund administration, tax solutions, and compliance tools, which are already trusted by nearly 9,000 funds representing more than $203B in assets.

 

To learn more, visit https://carta.com/blog/listalpha-acquisition/. To learn more about Carta, follow us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, Youtube, or visit carta.com

 

About Carta

 

Carta is the ERP for private capital, connecting the entire ecosystem—from GPs and LPs to CEOs, CFOs, employees, and advisors. Trusted by 50,000 companies in 160+ countries, our platform streamlines every ownership workflow, making it easier to understand, manage, and grow equity. With software and services built to scale, Carta empowers you to build, invest, and grow with confidence. Carta’s Fund Administration platform supports 9,000 funds and SPVs, representing $203B+ in assets under management, with tools designed to enhance the strategic impact of Fund CFOs. Recognized by Fortune, Forbes, Fast Company, Inc. and Great Places to Work, Carta is transforming how private capital operates.

 

For more information visit carta.com

 

 

 

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260303307760/en/

 

Business Wire India

ZAPI GROUP, a global leader in electrification, will demonstrate new solution capabilities within industrial vehicle electrification at ConExpo/AGG, taking place (March 3-7) in Las Vegas.

 

As electrified construction equipment evolves to include larger, more demanding applications, the group has developed new higher-powered on-board DC/DC converters, inverters, electrical motors, and battery chargers to support those performance requirements, while combining additional utility functions within a compact form-factor. Featured solutions include:

 

For motive power applications, a third-generation high-voltage inverter (ACH3) with customizable control software for enhanced performance, and a permanent magnet, electrical motor solution (IMI), with an integrated, liquid-cooled power-electronic inverter.

 

On the battery-charging front, there will be new high-voltage, high-powered 7.2 kW and 22 kW liquid-cooled on-board solutions designed for 100, 400 or 800V lithium-ion battery packs. The 7.2 kW is a modular 3-in-1 solution, combining a 1 kW DC-DC converter, EV charging station interface. The 22 kW is a modular 4-in-1 solution, combining a 2 kW DC-DC converter, EV charging station interface, DCFC and PLC.

 

Rounding out the charger offering, there will be a 22 kW OBC V2X on-board charger with bi-directional charging mode, Universal Grid Compatibility (UGC) and Functional Safety features.

 

The group will also debut a fully electric dumper proof-of-concept platform that showcases its integrated powertrain integration and electrification capabilities. The platform combines the group’s motors, inverters, charging systems, and engineering expertise to convert a traditional diesel dumper into a high-performance, zero-emission machine. The prototype highlights ZAPI GROUP’s technical strength and commitment to providing OEMs with turnkey, production-ready electrification solutions for next generation construction equipment.

 

“With a long history of success in vehicle electrification, ZAPI GROUP is driving the construction and industrial sectors toward safer, more efficient, and productive operations,” said Mr. Matteo Artioli, Global Sales Director, ZAPI GROUP. “We’re focused on delivering technologies that make electrification more accessible and scalable for our OEM customers and partners.”

 

ConExpo/AGG 2026 attendees can learn more about these solutions at the ZAPI GROUP Booth S-83617 (Las Vegas Convention Center – South Hall).

 

ZAPI GROUP invites all CONEXPO/CONAGG attendees to attend its upcoming fifth annual Future of Electrification virtual conference on April 21-22, 2026. The event will focus on real-world successes and practical strategies for integrating electric solutions across industries. Free registration is now open at www.futureofelectrification.org.

 

About ZAPI GROUP

 

ZAPI GROUP is engineering the transition to an all-electric future with a highly integrated product portfolio, including motion controllers (inverters), electric motors, and high-frequency battery chargers for application in full-electric and hybrid vehicles. We provide turnkey system integration, autonomous navigation software, and safety and asset tracking for fleet management. Our companies include Zapi, Inmotion, Schabmueller, Best Motor, Delta-Q, ZIVAN, Stercom, BlueBotics, Ubiquicom, ZTP, and 4e Consulting.

 

As a global electrification leader with deep systems experience, leading innovations, and an obsession with driving customers’ success, ZAPI GROUP now counts more than 1,700 employees worldwide with a total annual revenue of more than 700 million US dollars. For more information, visit www.zapigroup.com.

 

 

 

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260303698078/en/

 

Business Wire India

Rimini Street, Inc. (Nasdaq: RMNI), the Software Support and Agentic AI ERP Company™, and the leading third-party support provider for Oracle, SAP and VMware software, today announced Flexitech, a French manufacturer of brake and cooling hose solutions for the global automotive industry, has selected Rimini Support™ for SAP to strengthen security, accelerate compliance readiness and free budget for innovation.

 

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260303263951/en/

 

 

Rimini Support™ Enables Stability, Compliance and Strategic Reinvestment

 

Flexitech relies on a stable SAP ECC 6 environment to support its worldwide operations across Europe, Asia, North America and South America. As SAP maintenance fees continued to rise and the ROI for a forced migration to S/4HANA remained unclear, Flexitech sought an alternative that would preserve system stability while enabling progress on business-critical initiatives.

 

By choosing Rimini Support for SAP, Flexitech extended the life of its proven SAP ECC 6 platform while redirecting savings into high-impact priorities. These include accelerated cybersecurity investments, Trusted Information Security Assessment Exchange (TISAX) compliance readiness, modernization of manufacturing execution systems and targeted research and development programs supporting next-generation brake and cooling hose technologies.

 

“We had been working directly with SAP for many years, but the maintenance services were costly, and the value added was quite questionable in comparison,” said Thierry Le Gouanvic, CIO at Flexitech. “The strategic move to Rimini Street freed up significant budget while giving us faster, better support, and we were able to extend the life of our very stable SAP ECC 6 platform for at least 15 additional years without feeling pressure to take on a disruptive move to S/4HANA.”

 

Why Manufacturers Like Flexitech Choose Rimini Street for SAP

 

Rimini Support for SAP provides a clear alternative to costly vendor support while delivering measurable business value, enabling organizations to:

 

• Extend the life of existing SAP systems for 15+ years without forced migrations
• Free up 50–90% of total support budget for innovation and strategic initiatives
• Meet global compliance requirements through Rimini Street’s industry-leading Legislature-to-Live™ tax, legal and regulatory update services
• Strengthen security posture with expert guidance and rapid response
• Achieve business-driven flexibility instead of vendor-mandated upgrades
• Protect business uptime with expert Level 4 support, including dedicated, native-language engineers backed by guaranteed SLAs and resolution times

 

“The funds we saved, and the system stability achieved by moving to Rimini Street have empowered us to reinvest our people, time and money towards initiatives that put us on the forefront of innovation,” said Le Gouanvic. “If we decide to acquire competitors or set up new manufacturing facilities in Asia or diversify into new types of hoses for cars, Rimini Street gives us the flexibility to support and optimize our SAP to align with our strategic direction.”

 

An End-to-End IT Partner that Scales with the Business

 

“We previously had limited options when it came to external partners who could support us as our business expanded,” said Le Gouanvic. “Rimini Street’s extensive capabilities and experienced team give us confidence that whatever our next step, our SAP systems will be supported and optimized to match our strategy.”

 

“Flexitech’s story demonstrates how organizations can unlock immediate value by moving away from costly, vendor-driven support models and toward a strategy that prioritizes stability, security and innovation,” said James Harvey, regional CTO, EMEA, Rimini Street. “By choosing Rimini Street, Flexitech is preserving a reliable, mission-critical ERP foundation while redirecting critical resources toward business-driving initiatives – exactly what modern manufacturing leaders need to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving global market.”

 

Learn more about how Flexitech keeps SAP on track while shifting gears to innovation with Rimini Street.

 

About Rimini Street, Inc.

 

Rimini Street, Inc. (Nasdaq: RMNI), a Russell 2000® Company, is a proven, trusted global provider of end-to-end, mission-critical enterprise software support, managed services and innovative Agentic AI ERP solutions, and is the leading third-party support provider for Oracle, SAP and VMware software. The Company has signed thousands of IT service contracts with Fortune Global 100, Fortune 500, midmarket, public sector and government organizations who have leveraged the Rimini Smart Path™ methodology to achieve better operational outcomes, billions of US dollars in savings and fund AI and other innovation.

 

To learn more, please visit www.riministreet.com, and connect with Rimini Street on X, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

 

Forward-Looking Statements

 

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These statements are based on various assumptions and on the current expectations of management and are not predictions of actual performance, nor are these statements of historical facts. These statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties regarding Rimini Street’s business, and actual results may differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to our ability to attract new clients or retain and/or sell additional products or services to existing clients; our ability to achieve and maintain an adequate rate of revenue growth; cost of revenue, including changes in costs associated with our efforts to grow and the results of any efforts to manage costs to align with current revenue expectations and the expansion of our offerings; the effects of increased intense competition in our industry and our ability to compete effectively; our ability to successfully educate the market regarding the advantages of our support and managed services for enterprise resource planning (ERP) software and to sell the products and services comprising our “Rimini Smart Path™” solutions portfolio, including but not limited to our Agentic AI ERP solutions; our intentions with respect to our pricing model and expectations of client savings relative to use of other providers; the evolution of the ERP software management and support landscape facing our clients and prospects; 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the loss of one or more members of our management team and our ability to attract and retain additional qualified technical, sales and marketing personnel; our ability to expand our marketing and sales capabilities; our ability to avoid interruptions to, or degraded performance of, our services and the impact of any such interruptions or performance problems on our operations; our ability to defend against cybersecurity threats and to comply with data protection and privacy regulations; our expectations regarding new product offerings, innovation solutions, partnerships and alliance programs and our ability to develop and maintain strategic partnerships; our ability to expand internationally and the risks associated with global operations; the impact of macro-economic trends, including inflation and changes in foreign exchange rates, as well as general financial, economic, regulatory and political conditions affecting the industry in which we operate and the industries in which our clients operate; our ability to generate significant capital through our operations or to raise additional capital necessary to fund and expand our operations and invest in new services and products; our business plan and our ability to effectively secure and manage our growth and associated investments; risks relating to retention rates, including our ability to accurately forecast retention rates; our ability to protect our intellectual property; our ability to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting; changes in laws or regulations, including tax laws or unfavorable outcomes of tax positions we take; tariff costs, including those imposed by the United States government and the potential for retaliatory trade measures by affected countries; our ability to realize benefits from our net operating losses; any negative impact of environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) matters on our reputation or business and the exposure of our business to additional costs or risks from our reporting on such matters; our credit facility’s ongoing debt service obligations and financial and operational covenants on our business and related interest rate risk; the sufficiency of our cash and cash equivalents to meet our liquidity requirements; the volatility of our stock price; the amount and timing of repurchases, if any, under our stock repurchase program and our ability to enhance stockholder value through such program; our ability to maintain our good standing with the United States government and international governments and capture new contracts with governmental entities/agencies; the occurrence of catastrophic events that may disrupt our business or that of our current and prospective clients; future acquisitions of, or investments in, complementary companies, products, subscriptions or technologies; and those discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in Rimini Street’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on February 19, 2026, and as updated from time to time by Rimini Street’s future Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other filings by Rimini Street with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, forward-looking statements provide Rimini Street’s expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this communication. Rimini Street anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause Rimini Street’s assessments to change. However, while Rimini Street may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, Rimini Street specifically disclaims any obligation to do so, except as required by law. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Rimini Street’s assessments as of any date subsequent to the date of this communication.

 

 

© 2026 Rimini Street, Inc. All rights reserved. “Rimini Street” is a registered trademark of Rimini Street, Inc. in the United States and other countries, and Rimini Street, the Rimini Street logo, and combinations thereof, and other marks marked by TM are trademarks of Rimini Street, Inc. All other trademarks remain the property of their respective owners, and unless otherwise specified, Rimini Street claims no affiliation, endorsement, or association with any such trademark holder or other companies referenced herein.

 

 

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260303263951/en/

 

Business Wire India

— Advanced Attitude Control Showcases the Advantages of a Compact Multicopter Design in Delivering Urban Air Mobility —

— Demo flights performed under Tokyo Metropolitan Government program to explore future of urban eVTOL possibilities —

 

SkyDrive Inc. (“SkyDrive”), a leading eVTOL (*1) aircraft manufacturer based in Japan, is pleased to announce the successful conclusion of a series of demo flights of its “SKYDRIVE” (SkyDrive Model SD-05), conducted over the five days between February 24 (Tue) and February 28 (Sat), 2026. The flights, which were organized in collaboration with Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd., and Kanematsu Corporation and took place at Tokyo Big Sight, a major event venue on Tokyo Bay, represent the first-ever public flights of SkyDrive’s aircraft in Tokyo. These flights were conducted as part of the “Project for Developing Business Models for eVTOL (Flying Car) Services in Tokyo”, a project of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced in June 2025.

 

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260303487640/en/

 

 

The goal of this flight program was to evaluate the integrated ground and flight operations needed to support the future commercialization of urban eVTOL transport. With this in mind, SkyDrive and its supporting partners assessed the full operational sequence from pre-flight preparation through to departure, cruising, landing and returning the aircraft to the hangar. With a combined focus on the aircraft and the terminal facilities that future passengers will require, the project broke new ground as the first such comprehensive feasibility study of future eVTOL operations to take place in Japan.

 

Terminal infrastructure was built to allow members of the public to test and provide feedback on the various pre-boarding procedures including facial recognition-enabled passenger check-in and passenger security screening. SkyDrive is grateful for the cooperation of the many members of the public who helped us collect the data we need to ensure the smooth running of future passenger flights. With their cooperation, the reality of commercially viable, convenient urban eVTOL travel can begin to take shape.

 

Video: https://youtu.be/lI0tTF3c9Ak

 

Making the Case for Urban eVTOL

 

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has developed a roadmap for the introduction of eVTOL infrastructure and services and is actively supporting the development of the industry, recognizing the potential for eVTOL aircraft to improve resident quality of life by combatting traffic congestion and radically transforming the movement of people and goods. Smoother transportation and logistics enhances the appeal of the city, making it a more attractive destination for tourists and a more comfortable home for residents.

 

Since 2022, Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd. and Kanematsu Corporation have been validating various business models and conducting technical verifications to assess the feasibility of various passenger eVTOL services. These studies, which are designed to pave the way for the use of air taxis in and around Tokyo, include potential routes between the rooftop of the Shin-Marunouchi Building in central Tokyo and destinations along Tokyo Bay.

 

Flying these routes with a conventional helicopter reveals the potential for a significant reduction in travel time to below one-third that of road travel, while also revealing the importance of ensuring time savings in the pre- and post-travel procedures, including the passenger boarding process and access to and from vertiports. Additionally, these preliminary studies confirmed the unique appeal of the scenery on these routes, the strong likely demand for scenic flights, and the core importance of central business districts and train stations as candidate vertiport locations.

 

Following these investigations and feasibility studies, SkyDrive joined the project in 2025, its fourth year. As described above, SkyDrive, together with the project partners, was able to use this series of demo flights to assess both aircraft and terminal operations. In collaboration with UK-based Skyports, a global leader in vertiport infrastructure, we sought out volunteer members of the public who could experience part of the eVTOL passenger journey, including facial recognition-enabled check-in and security screening, as part of our efforts to confirm the effectiveness of passenger terminal operations. This feedback from this activity allowed SkyDrive to gain a deeper understanding of the operational and convenience requirements that will be necessary to ensure successful commercialization.

 

Demo Flight Details

 

The demo flight series took place on February 24-28, 2026, operating from a dedicated take-off and landing site in the outdoor temporary parking lot by the East Wing of Tokyo Big Sight, an iconic Tokyo landmark. The demo flight featured the SKYDRIVE (SkyDrive Model SD-05), the same model flown by SkyDrive at the Expo 2025 event in Osaka and also at the nearby OsakaKo Vertiport (*2). As the flight route is situated close to the busy flight paths approaching Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, the demo flights also served as a further opportunity to confirm the low acoustic footprint of the SKYDRIVE.

 

The aircraft’s flight path started from within the limited space available inside the Tokyo Big Sight grounds before extending out over the sea. The SKYDRIVE’s ability to take off and land in relatively confined spaces is a huge advantage in ensuring safe operations from rooftops and other compact vertiports. Safe operation from small vertiports increases the number of potentially usable vertiport sites, allowing future services to approach door-to-door connectivity even in city neighbourhoods where local characteristics make the construction of large vertiports difficult or impossible.

 

Watching the SKYDRIVE take off from a lot allowed visitors to catch a glimpse of a near future in which eVTOL travel is just an everyday part of the fabric of city life. Whether it be a rooftop, shopping mall carpark, or the public square in front of a local train station, a compact multicopter will have a wider variety of takeoff and landing options, leading to more flexible, scalable operations.

 

Video: https://youtu.be/Pc2qB6Zv8RI
Shot on February 24, 2026 at around 09:30.
Flight data: Flight time of approximately 3.5 minutes, flight distance of 150 meters, maximum altitude of 13 meters, aircraft uncrewed, flown using a combination of automated control and remote pilot technology to ensure the highest standards of flight safety.

 

SKYDRIVE (SD-05 series) Multicopter

 

SkyDrive’s multicopter, the SKYDRIVE (SkyDrive Model SD-05), which uses precise control technology to achieve superior maneuverability, is distinguished by its compact size. As the aircraft is smaller than fixed wing eVTOLs, it can operate safely from smaller vertiports.

 

In Tokyo, there are around 70 rooftop heliports accessible to helicopters in the event of an emergency. The majority of those vertiports have dimensions of around 15m x 15m to 20m x 20m.

 

The precise control technology employed to maneuver the SKYDRIVE (SkyDrive Model SD-05), and the aircraft’s compact size, allow the aircraft to access a large majority of these existing rooftop heliports, making the aircraft a suitable eVTOL option for future intra-city short-hop journeys.　

 

As an eVTOL, powered only by electricity, the aircraft emits no exhaust gases.

 

The SKYDRIVE’s compact dimensions allow for the use of smaller vertiports than those required by fixed-wing eVTOL designs.

 

*In the diagrams, the blue line suggests the likely width a vertiport would require to safely accommodate each respective aircraft.

 

eVTOL Passenger Terminal Feasibility Studies

 

In collaboration with UK-based Skyports, a global leader in vertiport infrastructure, SkyDrive set up a new vertiport equipped with a Vertiport Automation System (VAS*3). Members of the public were able to experience facial recognition-based passenger check-in and security screening procedures, before watching a flight safety video and passing through the boarding gate. Feedback collected from the test participants will be instrumental in improving future operations.

 

Passenger terminal details

 

Mobile Passenger Terminal
Total floor area	Around 54m2 (Internal floor area of 17.06m2×2 + external deck area of 20m2)
Designer	Designed by Mitsubishi Jisho Design Inc.
Features	Gallery: This area displays an exhibition of information on eVTOLs. Deck: An area to relax and view aircraft in flight helps to build passenger excitement. Safety inspection area: Automatic facial recognition-enabled check-in and seamless passenger screening combine to make a simple and smooth pre-flight process. Lounge: A comfortable space for passengers to wait for their flight while checking on the latest flight information and other updates. Operations room: A place for the operations team to support the flight schedule by monitoring arrivals and departures at the vertiport, parking spots on the apron, availability of charging facilities, and information on the surrounding airspace (including the local weather and other aircraft movements). Passenger flows are also controlled through the same system ensuring the safe and efficient vertiport operations.

 

Comment from SkyDrive founder and CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa.

 

Following our successful demonstration flights at the 2025 Osaka Expo and the Osakako Vertiport, I am delighted to see our aircraft reaching the skies of Tokyo for the first time. We are truly grateful for the support we have received from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and our various business partners in staging this series of flights.

 

Multicopters are agile aircraft, ideal for operations in major urban areas with limited space to maneuver. With a continued emphasis on safety, we look forward to providing further demonstrations of our aircraft’s capabilities. As we work towards the introduction of commercial services, I hope that Tokyo residents will share our enthusiasm and excitement for the future of this new form of transport. With the government’s plans for regional development now categorizing eVTOL as essential social infrastructure, we are proud, as Japan’s leading eVTOL manufacturer, to lead the eVTOL revolution both in Japan and overseas.

 

About SkyDrive Inc.

 

SkyDrive is a Japanese eVTOL company aiming “to take the lead in the once-in-a-century mobility revolution”. The company began testing eVTOL prototypes in 2014 prior to official incorporation in 2018. Under its future vision for urban transportation, flying in eVTOLs will become a regular part of city life. In 2019, SkyDrive became the first company to fly a crewed eVTOL in Japan. In 2025, the company successfully showcased the eVTOL “SKYDRIVE”, the company’s first eVTOL product, with demonstration flights at the Osaka Expo witnessed by thousands of visitors over a one-month period. SkyDrive began production of “SKYDRIVE” in March 2024 at a plant owned by Suzuki Motor Corporation, SkyDrive’s official production partner. SkyDrive has been working with civil aviation authorities in Japan and the US to obtain certification for “SKYDRIVE”, with the aim of launching the aircraft into service in 2028. SkyDrive is headquartered in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, and led by CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa, an engineer and entrepreneur.

 

For more information, please visit: https://skydrive.co.jp/en/

 

Editor’s Note:
(*1) “eVTOL” is an abbreviation for electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing. As the name suggests, eVTOL aircraft can take off and land without a runway. eVTOLs are powered by electricity and incorporate advanced, automatic, flight control technology.

 

(*2) Related press release: https://skydrive.co.jp/en/archives/16094 / https://skydrive.co.jp/en/archives/16771

 

(*3) Vertiport Automation System (VAS): A VAS is a system for automating and optimizing eVTOL departures and arrivals at a vertiport. In addition to supporting flight operations by monitoring space availability and the surrounding airspace, the system also digitally monitors the availability of various vertiport resources, while also handling check-in and customer flow.

 

 

 

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260303487640/en/

 

Business Wire India

Quectel Wireless Solutions, a global end-to-end IoT solutions provider, today announces the launch of a new intelligent CPE reference design based on the MediaTek T930 platform, integrating 5G-Advanced and Wi-Fi 8 technologies.

 

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260303124613/en/

 

 

The solution combines the high-performance 5G-A connectivity, intelligent reliability and advanced capabilities of the MediaTek T930 platform with Quectel’s deep expertise in the global Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) market. Moving beyond a simple focus on high speed, it delivers a fully integrated, all-in-one solution featuring exceptional performance, ultra-high stability, and intelligent network management.

 

Designed for both residential and enterprise users, the solution enables transformative improvements in broadband access, mobile office connectivity, enterprise networking, and industrial IoT applications. Powered by Quectel’s RG660MK series modules, the solution adopts MediaTek’s advanced 4nm T930 5G platform, integrating a 3GPP Release 18-compliant 5G-A modem, quad-core CPU and dedicated network processing unit, with chip-level deep collaboration with Wi-Fi 8 technology, bringing users a disruptive intelligent connectivity experience.

 

“As a global enabler in the IoT industry, we are committed to translating state-of-the-art connectivity technologies into customer value. The FWA market is evolving from basic connectivity to differentiated, intelligent and scenario-based experiences,” commented Doron Zhang, COO, Quectel Wireless Solutions. “Our new intelligent solution developed with MediaTek responds precisely to this trend, aiming to become the core network hub for future smart homes and digital enterprises. Going forward, Quectel will continue to deepen innovation in 5G and AIoT, collaborate with partners to empower all industries with more advanced and intelligent connectivity, and jointly prosper the global digital economy ecosystem.”

 

Evan Su, General Manager of Wireless Communications at MediaTek, said “We are delighted to partner with Quectel to launch this landmark next-generation intelligent solution. It demonstrates our joint innovation strengths in 5G-A, Wi-Fi 8 and other cutting-edge technologies, and marks a key step toward a smarter FWA ecosystem. We look forward to deepening cooperation with Quectel in technical research, product development and ecosystem building, delivering stronger and superior next-gen connectivity solutions for global operators and end users, and jointly shaping the future of wireless broadband.”

 

Powered by 8Rx and 3Tx 5L technologies, the reference design expands 5G coverage and cell-edge efficiency by 40%, delivering stable, high-speed connectivity even in weak-signal areas and dense multi-user environments. With MediaTek’s L4S feature cutting latency to just 1/20 of traditional systems, it ensures ultra-responsive performance for cloud gaming, real-time control, and HD video conferencing. Wi-Fi 8 technologies, including Coordinated Spatial Reuse, Coordinated Beamforming, and dynamic spectrum management, further reduce interference, boost transmission efficiency by over 25%, and increase device throughput by up to 80%, keeping hundreds of devices running smoothly. A built-in NPU adds edge intelligence capabilities such as autonomous optimization, local voice interaction, and dynamic end-edge-cloud coordination, transforming the network from a passive pipe into an intelligent, proactive platform.

 

With sub-millisecond latency and ultra-reliable performance, it powers 8K UHD streaming, immersive VR/AR, and seamless whole-home smart device connectivity. For enterprises, it enables fast, flexible deployment of high-speed wireless broadband, ideal for branch offices, temporary sites, and areas without wired infrastructure. It also delivers cost-effective broadband access for underserved regions, while meeting the stringent low-latency and reliability demands of industrial IoT, telemedicine, smart education, and precision agriculture.

 

About Quectel

 

Quectel’s passion for a smarter world drives us to accelerate IoT innovation. A highly customer-centric organization, we are a global end-to-end IoT solutions provider backed by outstanding support and services.

 

With a worldwide team of over 5,800 professionals, we lead the way in delivering end-to-end IoT solutions, spanning cellular, GNSS, satellite, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules, high-performance antennas, value-added services and full turnkey offerings including ODM services and system integration.

 

With regional offices and support across the globe, our international leadership is devoted to advancing IoT and helping build a smarter world.

 

For more information, please visit: www.quectel.com or LinkedIn

 

 

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260303124613/en/

 

Business Wire India

Riskified (NYSE: RSKD), a leader in ecommerce fraud and risk intelligence, today announced an expansion of its AI Agent Intelligence platform, positioning the company as the definitive shield for the next era of ecommerce. As merchants explore deploying their own native, conversational AI shopping assistants to elevate their customer experience, Riskified is ensuring that these new touchpoints are protected from sophisticated fraud and abuse.

 

Retailers are heavily investing in bringing AI agents directly to their digital storefronts. Research from McKinsey & Company underscores this trend, noting that 82% of retail organizations have already launched generative AI pilots focused on reinventing customer service.

 

As merchants build out their AI shopping assistants to offer deep personalization and loyalty programs based on customer preferences, Riskified provides a critical risk intelligence layer that makes these interactions both smart and secure. Because Riskified analyzes the complete purchase history of the end customer across an expansive global network of ecommerce brands, it provides highly differentiated data that merchants cannot access on their own.

 

“Merchants looking to launch their own virtual shopping assistants have a home-field advantage maintaining direct, personalized relationships with their shoppers,” said Assaf Feldman, CTO and Cofounder of Riskified. “Riskified’s role is to serve as the definitive risk intelligence layer to both enhance and secure AI agent interactions. By augmenting a merchant’s proprietary customer history with insights from our vast multi-merchant network, we help to ensure that every transaction and claim enacted through a merchant’s AI agent is a verified identity.”

 

Riskified aims to protect these new touchpoints from sophisticated fraud and abuse, introducing several capabilities designed specifically for merchants’ conversational AI shopping assistants:

 

1. AI Agent Identity Signals: Allows a merchant’s AI shopping agent to directly query Riskified’s Identity Graph to retrieve associated risk indicators and resolve an identity programmatically. This can be done either through enhancements to our MCP integration AI Agent Approve on AWS Marketplace, via Google’s Agent-to-Agent (A2A) protocol, or via standard RESTful APIs. In this model, Riskified acts as a “trust agent,” serving up real-time risk intelligence directly into different moments of the shopping experience where they add the most value. For example, native AI agents can get real-time risk signals while they are in the conversation with the consumer to offer instant refunds or exchange decisions based on consumer risk and eligibility.
    
2. Enhancements to AI Agent Policy Builder: Within Riskified Decision Studio, merchants can identify and apply business rules to manage the risk of order volume coming from their native AI shopping agents. This control will allow merchants to confidently deploy their branded conversational AI agents without exposing themselves to programmatic refund claim abuse, reseller arbitrage, or promotion abuse.

 

Riskified’s pragmatic and focused approach addresses the reality that fraud rings are already exploiting early agentic protocols and chatbots. By focusing on identity resolution and anomalies in purchasing patterns, Riskified ensures that the transition to AI-mediated shopping on merchant websites remains a revenue driver, not a liability. Learn more about additional agentic capabilities on the Riskified blog.

 

About Riskified

Riskified (NYSE:RSKD) empowers businesses to unleash ecommerce growth by outsmarting risk. Many of the world’s biggest brands and publicly traded companies selling online rely on Riskified for guaranteed protection against chargebacks, to fight fraud and policy abuse at scale, and to improve customer retention. Developed and managed by the largest team of ecommerce risk analysts, data scientists, and researchers, Riskified’s AI-powered fraud and risk intelligence platform analyzes the individual behind each interaction to provide real-time decisions and robust identity-based insights. Learn more at riskified.com.

 

 

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260303742138/en/